Winter Ball

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Through a miserable adolescence and a lonely adulthood, Skipper Keith has dreamed of nothing but family. The closest he gets is the rec league soccer team he coaches after work—and his star player and best friend, Richie Scoggins.

One brisk night in late October, a postpractice convo in Richie’s car turns into a sexual encounter neither of them expected—nor want to forget. Soon Skip and Richie are living for the weekends and their winter league soccer games—and the games they enjoy off the field. Through broken noses, holiday decorating, and the killer flu, they learn more about each other than they ever dreamed possible. Every new discovery takes them further beyond the boundaries of the soccer field and into the infinite possibilities of the best relationship of Skipper’s life.

Skipper can’t dream of a better family than Richie—but Richie’s got real family entanglements he can’t shake off. Skipper needs to convince Richie to stay with him beyond winter ball so the relationship they started on the field might become their happy future in real life!

*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*

Winter Ball is the first book in Amy Lane's Winter Ball series. Skipper is a normal, every day guy. He owns his own home; goes to work every day at a normal, boring job; coaches and plays in rec league soccer; and hangs out with his friend. Skipper longs for a family of his own, and nurtures and cares for his team members and his co-worker. Unexpectedly one night when hanging out with his best friend Richie, things change between them. Neither Skipper or Richie consider themselves gay, but they can't deny the attraction to each other or what feels good for them. They start spending their weekends together, hanging out more after games, spending holidays together and before long they have to admit to themselves that what they have is more than friendship. Richie loves Skipper, but he also has a father who he has spent his whole life trying to make happy.

I loved that even though both of these men have always considered themselves straight and have only dated women, they aren't really concerned about their attraction to each other. They are concerned with how they label themselves, and that caused them the most issues personally as they accepted that they were gay. The relationship between Skipper and Richie was easy because they just fit, but they were just two guys who liked to drink beer and play soccer so building a relationship beyond sex took a little more work. These were well developed and written characters, and by the end of the book, the author had created a great cast of supporting characters with Skipper and Richie in the center holding everyone together.

If you haven't read this series, you should do so now! If you love the friends to lovers trope, you are going to adore this one!

Audio Review:

Nick J. Russo narrated Amy Lane's Winter Ball and he did a fantastic job! There are a lot of characters in this story so the narrator had his work cut out for him! The narrator gave each character a distinct voice, portrayed the emotions of the scene, did a great job with the humor in the story, had no weird pauses, and really nice flow throughout the story. He kept me engaged in the story and really brought a book I love to life!

Overall: 4.5 stars

Performance: 4.5 stars

Story: 4.5 stars

Amy Lane at Her Finest

By Kimmers on May 16, 2017 05:05

Review By: Tracy at Kimmers' Erotic Book Banter

’Winter Ball’, in my opinion, is Amy Lane at her finest.

[She] knows how to write the sexy, tender scenes and Russo’s narration only magnifies that. Amy Lane and Nick J Russo made me laugh, made me hot, made me tear up and made me believe in love.

Real Full Review at Kimmers' Erotic Book Banter:
http://bit.ly/2qpfNwR

Soccer

By Anja on Dec 23, 2016 02:12

I had a really hard time getting into this book (had nothing to do with the fact that I hate soccer) but ended up loving it (despite the fact that I hate soccer).
It was entertaining and fun and all kinds of adorable; with great, loveable characters (main and side) and a well done friends-to-lovers storyline that ranged from "made me laugh so freaking hard" to "that was heartbreaking" and stirred so many emotions in between. It was sweet and lovely and light on angst and sexy and cute. And also a little awkward, in an adorable way.
What threw me off at the beginning was the writing style. It was, Idk, strange, didn't work for me. I took me quite a while to get used to it, and when I did nothing could stop the hearts in my eyes.
I only wish there had been an epilogue, just a glimpse into the future... or rather a huge chunk of a glimpse (rhetorical bs, I know). I would've loved to read more about Richie and Skip *dreamy sigh*

A teaming of light and heavy

By Katy Beth on Nov 22, 2016 09:11

This is a romp through the fall and winter holidays as these two men learn to accept themselves and each other and figure out how to work it all out. This story is by turns lots of fun and then heavy as the character deals with their fears, their insecurities, and the hate the coming out can sometimes generate in others.

Over all a good read and great start on my holiday reading plan

Review of Winter Ball

By Christy on Mar 24, 2016 06:03

\"This this was for real. Six years of playing soccer together, playing video games and watching movies, going out to beer and pizza with the guysthat had meant something to him and Richie. This moment right here, skin-to-skin, this was scary.\"
Even though I'd been listening to Amy talk about this book, and I knew the description, I wasn't prepared for what I found between the pages. Such sweetness and love that it just sank into me and made me warm all over. I fell completely for Skipper and Richie, in no time flat. I promise you - you will, too.
Skipper and Richie have been the best of friends for six years. And then, in one innocent moment, they become so much more, and realize what has always been missing from their lives and their relationships with women. Skipper had a crappy childhood with an alcoholic, single mother, and the little things he missed out on bring him so much joy - like decorating his small house for Halloween. Richie loves doing those things with him, and for him, because he understands. Richie deals with his dad, his stepmom, and his two giant sized stepbrothers, or the chimps, every single day at the junkyard his dad owns. They treat him like crap, tease him about his height, his red hair, and don't appreciate him.
\"Please? Skips voice cracked. Please? For me, Richie? I mean, you might be able to live this way, but man, I fucking miss you when youre not at my place. It hurts, and I thought I was used to being alone. Its like a few weekends and Im spoiledI need you there or my feelings are all messy and bleeding
For the first time since I started reading Amy Lane books, I'm at a loss as to what to say. There's no question I loved 'Winter Ball'. Skipper and Richie were real, and so sweet, and their love was beautiful and amazing. The drama was, well, Amy Lane style, so it, too, was real and heartbreaking. Well, it was this. Just this.
\"Richie reached across the table and covered Skips hand with his own. Whats wrong?
Skip shook his head. Its you know. Just stupid dreams you have when youre a kid. Youre going to be a movie star or an astronaut. Youre going to be an athlete and have tons of friends and someone at home who cares if you live or die. But this this, you and meits nothing I ever dreamed of, you know? But its all I ever wanted.
Richies smile was slow and shy. Yeah?
Yeah.